Postdoctoral Research Associate

Job title:

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Company:

University of Edinburgh

Job description

Job Category: AcademicJob Description:Grade UE07- £40,497 to £48,149 per annumInstitute of Infection and Immunology ResearchSchool of Biological Sciences, College of Science and EngineeringFull time- 35hrs per weekFixed Term- until 31st January 2027The Opportunity:African trypanosomes are responsible for human disease but their major impact is on livestock in sub Saharan Africa. Here they cause the disease ‘nagana’, a fatal wasting of livestock. In the course of infection trypanosomes moderate their parasitaemia by quorum sensing to generate replication arrested ‘stumpy forms’, which prevent rapid host death and are pre-adapted for transmission by tsetse flies, the disease vector. This generates a chronic infection. However, in the field, trypanosome infections are often comprised of more than strain or species of the parasite as different parasite lines circulate among livestock herds and in game animals in the same geographical region. In experimental infections our laboratory has demonstrated that over the course of several weeks of coinfection between trypanosome species in rodents, the parasites become adapted to reduce their production of stumpy forms. This helps to them to compete in terms of parasite numbers with the coinfecting strain in the livestock host but potentially reduces their capacity for effective transmission by tsetse flies. We have isolated a number of selected parasite lines from coinfections and plan to understand how they have adapted after competition in a coinfection, thereby becoming more virulent. This project will seek to understand the basis of increased virulence after long term coinfection by a combination of genomic, transcriptomic and laboratory manipulation of the selected parasite lines.

• Relevant information can be found within our lab website (https://biology.ed.ac.uk/the-matthews-lab) and recent publications (e.g. Oldrieve et al, Nature Communications, 2024; PMID 39622840)

This post is advertised as full-time (35 hours per week), however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.Your skills and attributes for success:

• Strong bioinformatic expertise to interrogate parasite genomes and transcriptomes
• Experience working with CL3 pathogens, especially African trypanosomes, and genetically manipulating them
• Ability to interpret and present data orally and in writing
• Capacity to work as a team, helping operation of the laboratory or the projects of other lab members collaboratively if needed
• Willingness to work with in vivo infections, including animal handling and parasite phenotype analysis in infections.

Click to view a copy of the full (opens new browser tab)Application InformationPlease ensure you include the following documents in your application:– CV– Cover letter, explaining your reasons for applying and skills appropriate to the job descriptionAs a valued member of our team you can expect:

• A competitive salary
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our

(opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefitsChampioning equality, diversity and inclusionThe University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our (opens new browser tab)The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.Key dates to noteThe closing date for applications is 6 June 2025.Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.Interview dates TBC.About Us: As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.About the Team:IIIR conducts fundamental research across the areas of immunology, infection, genetics and epidemiology, in order to develop new interventions to control human and animal diseases. The Institute encompasses an exceptional breadth of pathogen research, from viruses to helminth parasites, on a wide platform of scientific approaches from functional genomics to mathematical biology. IIIR’s environment and facilities offer outstanding opportunities for interdisciplinary research into immunology and infection. Our four main themes are: fundamental immunology; immune regulation of disease; molecular biology and genetics of parasites; and host-pathogen population biology. Research is funded by a wide range of sponsors including MRC, the Wellcome Trust, other charities, industry and the European Union.IIIR has strong links with the Institute for Evolutionary Biology, in particular through the Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution (http://ciie.bio.ed.ac.uk (supported by the Wellcome Trust)), which promotes collaborations between basic and clinical scientists (through joint projects with the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine), between empirical and mathematical scientists, and between immunological and evolutionary biologists.Find our more at https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/immunology-infection

Expected salary

£40497 – 48149 per year

Location

United Kingdom

Job date

Sat, 17 May 2025 23:44:26 GMT

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